Synopses & Reviews
It takes 8 gallons of water to grow a tomato; 616 gallons to make a burger patty. In fact, the food each of us consumes per day represents an investment of 4,500 gallons of water, according to the California Farm Bureau. In this densely populated state where it rains only six months out of the year, where does all that water come from? This thoroughly engaging, concise book tells the story of California's most precious resource, tracing the journey of water in the state from the atmosphere to the snowpack to our faucets and foods. Along the way, we learn much about California itself as the book describes its rivers, lakes, wetlands, dams, and aqueducts and discusses the role of water in agriculture, the environment, and politics. Essential reading for a state facing the future with an already overextended water supply, this fascinating book shows that, for all Californians, every drop counts.
* Features 137 color photographs and 27 color maps
* Includes a table "Where Does Your Water Come From?" that answers the question for 315 California cities and towns
* Provides up-to-date information on water quality in California, covering such timely topics as Giardia, groundwater contamination, fluoride, and the bottled-water phenomenon
A book in the Californians and Their Environment subseries, dedicated to understanding human influences on the state's ecology and natural resources
Synopsis
"This book engages readers at a personal level."and#151;Donald Pisani, author of
Water and American Government "Water is the foundation upon which California's ecosystems and economic vitality rise. This is a must read for anyone living in California, whether they are students, politicians, farmers, environmental activists, or corporate executives."and#151;Arthur Guy Baggett, Jr., Chair, California State Water Resources Control Board
"A comprehensive, readable natural history guide to an extremely complicated subject. It interweaves the historical, human, and technological factors with the ecological and environmental realities."and#151;Pam Lloyd, former Chair of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, S.F. Bay Region
About the Author
David Carle worked as a California State Park ranger for 27 years. He is author of Water and the California Dream: Choices for the New Millennium (2003) and Burning Questions: America's Fight With Nature's Fire (2002), among other books.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Water Weband#151;Connected Californians
PART 1. TAPPING INTO A PLANETARY CYCLE
A Great Water Wheel
Vital Molecule
"Normal" Weatherand#151;Anything But "Average"
PART 2. CALIFORNIA WATER LANDSCAPE
Pristine Waterscape
Groundwater
Hydrologic Regions:
North Coast
Sacramento River
North Lahontan
San Francisco Bay
San Joaquin
Central Coast
Tulare Lake
South Lahontan
South Coast
Colorado River
PART 3. THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Expanding Watersheds
State Water Project
Central Valley Project
Colorado River Delivery Systems
Los Angeles Aqueduct
Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct
Mokulumne Aqueduct
Other Districts
Where Does Your Water Come From?
PART 4. CHALLENGES TO CALIFORNIA WATER MANAGEMENT
Extinction is Forever
A Thirsty Garden
Salton Sea
Animal Impacts
Beneath Your Feet
Out of Sight, Out of Control
Can You Drink the Water?
Giardia
Mass Medication
The Bottled Water Phenomenon
The Problem is Us
Where Does Your Dog Go?
Unchecked Growth, Messing with the Cycle
PART 5. MEETING CHALLENGESand#151;CALIFORNIAand#8217;S WATER FUTURE
The Public Trust
Restoration
CALFED
The Debate Over Dams:
Build More Behemoths?
Offstream Dams?
Raise Existing Dams?
Raze Existing Dams?
Storage in the Bank
Transfers: Water as a Commodity
Short-cutting the Cycle (Recycling)
Squeezing the Sponge (Conservation)
Clean Water
Lemonade from Lemons (Desalination)
What Future Do You Choose?
California Water Timeline
Glossary
Agencies and Organizations
References